ROCHESTER -- In an effort to better condition her team for the rigors conference tournament play at the end of the season, Oakland women's coach Beckie Francis lined up games on consecutive days for her Golden Grizzlies.

Her players didn't disappoint in their early-season test, running away with a 78-53 win over NAIA Michigan-Dearborn Monday at the O'rena.

"We need our team to get used to playing back-to-back because we need to do that at some point in the playoffs," Francis said. "I was really proud of their stamina and that everyone contributed off the bench."

Advertisement

Oakland returned home Monday from a brief road trip, where it split games, winning at Canisius and losing at Niagara Sunday. They returned to the floor hardly more than 24 hours after leaving Niagara, N.Y., via bus.

"It's tiring from one game to another, but you have to be prepared for every game," freshman Elena Popkey said. "It's not a factor once you hit the floor."

Popkey played 31 minutes Sunday and logged another 29 minutes Monday. She's averaging nearly 31 minutes per game through the first six games of her Oakland career.

Five Oakland players finished in double figures, led by 12 points each by Popkey and Amy Carlton (Lakeland). Freshman Olivia Nash secured her fifth double-double in six career games with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while classmate Annemarie Hamlet had 10 points. Shelby Herrington added 11 points for Oakland.

Oakland (4-2) led by 20 at halftime, 47-27, and never trailed the Wolves (1-4), who turned over the ball 22 times. The Grizzlies, though, had 18 of their own giveaways.

The Grizzlies' lead maxed out at 28 points late in the contest and their reserves nearly outscored their starters, scoring just two fewer points, 40-38.

"It was good to get my starters some rest," Francis said of her bench, which includes Hamlet, the team's leading scorer with 13.2 points per game. "We really like her coming off the bench and she seems to be liking it."

The Grizzlies face more challenging opponents in the coming games. They host Western Michigan Saturday before Michigan State visits Dec. 5. Purdue visits the O'rena Dec. 16 before the Grizzlies visit No. 2 Connecticut Dec. 19.

"We scheduled some pretty good non-league opponents to try to get them ready for that swing," Francis said.

Michigan-Dearborn has never beaten Oakland, which holds a 19-0 all-time record in the series with the Wolves. The teams had not met since 2002 prior to Monday's game.

The Grizzlies shot 49 percent (31 of 63) from the floor, while Michigan-Dearborn was 22 of 59 (37 percent). Oakland held the advantage on the boards as well, outrebounding the Wolves, 45-30.

"We had certain goals we were trying to reach," Francis said. "There were some things that were exposed that we will work on, because everything wasn't perfect, (but) I'm happy with what we did."

Oakland senior and Summit League preseason player of the year Bethany Watterworth (Lake Orion) has missed each game this season, as expected, after suffering an undisclosed injury in the offseason. She was the Grizzlies' leading scorer with 18 points per game last season. Francis had no timetable for Watterworth's return, but expects to have more information in the coming weeks.

Saturday's game against the Broncos tips off at 2 p.m. from the O'rena.